Easterbrook on Tiki Barber: At this point Tiki Barber, TTNY (“The Toast of New York”), should replace Brett Favre as the most admired player in the NFL, and as the one who exemplifies the best of football culture. This guy plays amazingly well — last night when the Giants needed power running, he even did… Continue reading An Appreciation
Category: Football
The Problem of Big Mike
We get the Sunday New York Times delivered every week (which accounts for the higher-than-usual number of stories from the Times that I link on Sundays…), and I read most of it, but I usually run out of steam before I get to the Magazine, unless the cover story really grabs me. This week was… Continue reading The Problem of Big Mike
Mirror Image Football
I root for the Giants, and Kate roots for the Patriots, and at times in the last few years, it’s seemed like they had a zero-sum relationship. When the Giants win, the Pats lose, and when the Pats are playing well, the Giants look awful. Yesterday wasn’t zero-sum, but the games were practically mirror images… Continue reading Mirror Image Football
Take the Bad with the Good
So, the good news is, Gregg Easterbrook is writing about football for ESPN again. His “Tuesday Morning Quarterback” columns are some of the most entertaining football writing around. Here’s hoping he can make it through the whole season without saying something stupid to get himself fired. The bad news is, Gregg Easterbrook is writing about… Continue reading Take the Bad with the Good
Idle Question
Does including his middle name make USC quarterback John David Booty sound more or less like a porn star? (Yesterday was the inauguration for our new college president, so it was a long day, and I’m a little punchy watching SportsCenter…)
We’re Talkin’ ‘Bout Practice
When Redskins running back and noted NFL whack job Clinton Portis got injured in a preseason game, he generated a lot of buzz with a press-conference rant about how stupid it is to make players go through pre-season games at all. The sports punditocracy kept the topic alive for pretty much the whole rest of… Continue reading We’re Talkin’ ‘Bout Practice
Why, Yes, I Am Ready for Some Football
The NFL season starts in earnest today, and it’s about damn time. Granted, the early afternoon offerings on our local cable system– Jets/Titans and Eagles/Texans– probably don’t really qualify as “football,” and the late afternoon Cowboys/Jaguars game is interesting only insofar as either Terrell Owens or Bill Parcells might explode at any moment, but it’s… Continue reading Why, Yes, I Am Ready for Some Football
They Got a Perfect 20 on the New SAT
On Inside Higher Ed this morning: The University of Florida has distributed several thousand T-shirts in which Roman numerals intended to indicate 2006 (MMVI) in fact indicate 26 (XXVI). After discovering the mistake, the university will have many thousands of other T-shirts redone, The Gainesville Sun reported. But, hey, the football team is supposed to… Continue reading They Got a Perfect 20 on the New SAT
Couldn’t Happen to a Nicer Team
Lately, I’ve taken to putting ESPN’s Mike and Mike show on the tv in the morning while I make breakfast and do my morning exercises. It’s sort of interesting to watch people doing a radio show on tv, I enjoy their shtick, and now that the NFL season is nearly upon us, it actually sort… Continue reading Couldn’t Happen to a Nicer Team
Dear Mr. Fantasy
The NFL Draft is this weekend, and ESPN is entering their 57th day of intense, round-the-clock coverage of the draft. I have one simple thing to say to them: Stop. You’re hurting America. This isn’t even a real sports story– this is a fantasy sports story. This is like college basketball recruiting, only even less… Continue reading Dear Mr. Fantasy